1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the art of electrical connectors and more particularly, to a electrical connector provides means for latching an electrical connector with a complementary electrical connector or other connecting device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In high speed and other telecommunicating and computer applications, shielded input/output (I/O) connectors have been used at connection interfaces between computers and telecommunication networks. It is important to lock or latch two mating connectors to one another for ensuring proper and complete interconnection of the connector terminals and to further ensuring ongoing connections of the connectors. There are a plurality of locking or latching designs or systems available in the art for positively securing a connector to a mating connector. A know type of latching mechanism of a connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,339 issued to Yanagida on Aug. 8, 2000. The Yanagida latching mechanism includes a retractable locking pawl and a pair locking release buttons. The locking pawl comprises a resilient metal piece formed into a J-shaped at one end thereof and an operating portion at the other end thereof. The locking release buttons are positioned at opposite sides of the housing, and each includes a pressing portion at opposite end of a mating face of the connector. When the locking release buttons are pressed, the pressing portions depress the operating portion of the locking pawl so that the pawl is moved in a lock-releasing fashion.
However, the lock release buttons lack of support and/or securement within the connector and easily to loose away from the housing, thus causing inoperation of the system due to breakage or damage of the components. In addition, such a latching mechanism lacks of enough stretch force for coming back after being repeatedly pressed, and can be destroyed if excessive force is applied to the locking release buttons, thus rending the latch mechanism inoperative.
Hence, an electrical connector with improved latching mechanism is desired to overcome the foregoing shortcomings.